EOTB  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


JOHN  HENKf  NASH  LIBRARY 

SAN  FRANCISCO  <8> 

PRESENTED  TO  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


ROBERT  GORDON  SPROUL, PRESIDENT. 


MR.ANDMR5.MILTON  S.RAV 
CECILY,  VIRGINIA  AMD  ROSALYN  RAY 


RAY  OIL  BURNER  COMPANY 


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THE    MAHOGANY    TREE 


This  characteristic  picture  of  the  author  of  ' '  The 
Mahogany  Tree11  is  reproduced  from  a  drawing 
made  by  the  distinguished  illustrator,  Mr.  Edmund 
Dulac,for  the  cover  of  the  menu  of  a  dinner  of  the 
Titmarsh  Club  of  London.  It  is  reprinted  here 
by  Mr.  Du lac's  very  kind  permission. 


THE    MAHOGANY   TREE 


WILLIAM   MAKEPEACE  THACKERAY 


NEW    YORK 

PRIVATELY    PRINTED 

CHRISTMAS     1910 


The  Mahogany  Tree 

"Some  years  since"  said  Thackeray  in  a  pub- 
lic speech,  "'when  I  was  younger ',  and  used  to 
frequent  jolly  assemblies,  I  'wrote  a  Bacchanalian 
song  to  be  chanted  after  dinner;'  and  a  contem- 
porary record  has  preserved  a  note  of  *  'f/ie  radiant 
gratification  of  his  face  whilst  Horace  May  hew 
sang  The  Mahogany  Tree,  perhaps  the  finest  and 
most  soul-stirring  of  Thackeray' s  social  songs." 

In  seeking  a  Souvenir  of  this  Christmas  season 
the  ballad  of  "The  Mahogany  Tree"  lends  itself 
most  felicitously  to  the  present  purpose  which  is  to 
( ' — wish  you  health,  and  love  and  mirth, 
As  fits  the  solemn  Christmas-tide" 
Putting  aside  for  an  hour  the  affairs  of  a  work- 
a-day  world,  let  us  take   our  places   around  the 
convivial  board,  on   the   time-stained  surface  of 
which  we  may  find  infancy  the  initials  of  so  many 
boon  companions  of  other  days  cut  deep. 

It  is  pleasant  to  sport  "round  the  stem  of  the 
jolly  old  tree"  in  congenial  company,  and  to  renew 
our  youth  at  the  bidding  of  this  gracious  Toast- 
master,  the  centennial  of  whose  birth  we  shall 
celebrate  presently;  the  anniversary  of  whose  death 
was  yester-e'  en. 


But  while  remembering  that  we  shall  be  none 
the  worse  tomorrow  for  having  been  happy  today, 
we  are  not  permitted  to  forget  entirely  the  Blue- 
devil  Sprite  that  awaits  the  dawn.  The  play -spell 
is  over;  the  lights  are  out  in  Vanity  Fair;  and 
here  in  Mr.  Dulac's  drawing  is  the  leader  of  our 
Christmas  Chorus  as  he  shuts  up  the  box  and  the 
puppets — "for  our  play  is  played  out." 

C.  M.  F. 
Christmas 


THE  MAHOGANY  TREE 

Christmas  is  here: 
Winds  whistle  shrill, 
Icy  and  chill, 
Little  care  we: 
Little  we  fear 
Weather  without, 
Sheltered  about 
The  Mahogany  Tree 


Once  on  the  boughs 
Birds  of  rare  plume 
Sang,  in  its  bloom; 
Night-birds  are  we: 
Here  we  carouse, 
Singing  like  them, 
Perched  round  the  stem 
Of  the  jolly  old  tree. 


Here  let  us  sport, 
Boys,  as  we  sit; 
Laughter  and  wit 
Flashing  so  free. 
Life  is  but  short — 
When  we  are  gone, 
Let  them  sing  on 
Round  the  old  tree. 


Evenings  we  knew, 
Happy  as  this; 
Faces  we  miss, 
Pleasant  to  see. 
Kind  hearts  and  true, 
Gentle  and  just, 
Peace  to  your  dust! 
We  sing  round  the  tree. 


Care,  like  a  dun, 
Lurks  at  the  gate: 
Let  the  dog  wait; 
Happy  we'll  be! 
Drink,  every  one; 
Pile  up  the  coals, 
Fill  the  red  bowls, 
Round  the  old  tree! 


Drain  we  the  cup — 
Friend,  art  afraid? 
Spirits  are  laid 
In  the  Red  Sea. 
Mantle  it  up; 
Empty  it  yet; 
Let  us  forget, 
Round  the  old  tree. 


Sorrows,  begone! 
Life  and  its  ills, 
Duns  and  their  bills, 
Bid  we  to  flee. 
Come  with  the  dawn, 
Blue-devil  sprite. 
Leave  us  to-night, 
Round  the  old  tree. 


OF  THIS  BOOK  2OO  COPIES  WERE 
PRINTED  FOR  THOMAS  NAST 
FAIRBANKS  BY  HAL  MARCHBANKS 
IN  DECEMBER  1910 


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